Milo Before Dawn in the Cove- 適合中高級的英語短篇故事

Milo reached the wooden pier just after dawn, carrying a bright tin of marine paint. A soft breeze pressed against his jacket, and fine salt dust hovered above the water. The narrow cove lay quiet; only one fishing boat rocked between worn posts. The vessel had been moored away from the busy harbor so fresh work could dry undisturbed. Milo’s goal was simple: leave the paint onboard before the crew arrived for weekly repairs. He lowered a small dinghy, pushed it free, and climbed inside. Oar blades tapped against benches while gentle ripples lifted the bow toward the waiting hull.

Halfway across, a sudden gust pushed the dinghy sideways, and water slapped the port gunwale. Milo steadied the oars, yet the wind kept turning him until the prow aimed back toward the pier. He had tackled rougher currents before, but paint near his boots rattled with every vibration. Spray rose gradually, dotting his sleeves with silver specks. If the tide had risen any higher, the dinghy would have struck the pier’s stone base. He changed tactic, rowing diagonally, letting the wind assist rather than fight his passage. The hull’s shadow broadened; the dinghy soon bumped a rope ladder hanging from the stern. Milo gripped the slick rungs, climbed, and slid the paint tin onto a coil of net. The deck had been washed overnight; water still beaded on every plank.

He set the tin near the cabin door, then paused: fresh blue lines already crossed the rails. Someone had painted the night before, and the wood now gleamed like wet shells at low tide. Surprise lifted his eyebrows, and he laughed once, the sound bouncing off the quiet cove walls. The task he had planned no longer existed. He untied an unused canvas sail lying near the bow and spread it across the benches of the dinghy. The cloth would shield the fresh deck during tomorrow’s trip, giving the tin a new purpose. When the rest of the crew finally stepped aboard, they would notice the canvas, not the late delivery. Sunlight rested on the quiet paint tin beside the bow.

黎明剛過，米洛提著一罐亮藍的船用油漆走到木製碼頭。微風推著他的外套，細鹽霧在水面上飄浮。狹窄的小灣靜悄悄的；只有一艘漁船在老舊的木樁間輕輕搖晃。這艘船停在遠離繁忙港口的地方，好讓新刷的部位不被打擾。米洛的目標很簡單：在船員們到來前把油漆放到船上。他放下一艘小艇，推離碼頭後跳進去。槳葉敲著座椅，細小波紋把船頭抬向等待中的船身。

划到一半，一陣突風把小艇側推，水花拍打左舷。米洛穩住槳，但風仍不停把船頭轉回碼頭方向。他以前對付過更強的水流，可腳邊的油漆罐隨著震動叮噹作響。水花逐漸飛起，在他袖子上點綴銀色斑點。要是潮位再高一點，小艇就會撞上石質碼頭。他改變策略，斜向划行，讓風助力而非對抗。船身的影子擴大，小艇很快碰到船尾垂下的繩梯。米洛握住濕滑的橫檔爬上去，把油漆罐滑到一捲網上。甲板在前夜已被沖洗，水珠仍佈滿每塊木板。

他把油漆罐放在艙門旁，卻停住動作：鮮藍色線條已經覆蓋欄杆。顯然有人昨晚就刷好了，木頭像退潮時濕亮的貝殼般發光。他挑眉，大笑一聲，聲音在安靜的小灣回蕩。原先計畫的工作不再需要。他解開船頭旁的一塊備用帆布，鋪在小艇座椅上。這塊布明天可替新漆好的甲板擋風擋沙，也讓油漆罐有了新用途。等其他船員登船時，他們只會注意到那塊帆布，而不是稍晚的送達。陽光停在船頭旁安靜的油漆罐上。